Success Story: Natural assets

Natural assets

In a cool forest, in the foothills of the North Mountain that divides the Bay of Fundy from the Annapolis Valley, an ancient and deep aquifer provides a natural and unique asset for one of Nova Scotia’s top export companies.

As a division of Splendid Drinks AG in Luxembourg, Spa Springs Mineral Water Company bottles and exports a range of specialty soft drinks to more than 35 countries via the Port of Halifax. Some of the products are sold locally, as well.

“We’d like to see rural populations growing and producing goods all over the Valley. Our story proves that you can succeed.”

The company’s export success was celebrated at the 2016 Nova Scotia Export Achievement Awards ceremony in Halifax. Local businesses have also recognized its contribution to the local economy: Spa Springs received an Export Achievement Award from the Annapolis Valley Chamber of Commerce in 2015.

The bottling plant is located just outside the Town of Middleton. “I love the Valley,” says company president Wolfgang Thiel, whose family bought the Spa Springs bottling plant and invested $3 million in 2009. The plant was renovated and new equipment was imported from Germany to produce a variety of beverages in glass bottles. “We’d like to see rural populations growing and producing goods all over the Valley. Our story proves that you can succeed.”

(Thanks to Nova Scotia Business Inc. for permission to use parts of an interview with Wolfgang Thiel published at www.novascotiabusiness.com.)